Back To School
by Monkeefan42
Summary: The year is 1971. The Monkees have been broken up for some time, and Mike's marriage is on the rocks. He enrolls as a part time student at UCLA , figuring that some music courses will take his mind off of things. It is here that he meets a girl named Natalie, and they become best friends. Mike, however, has a huge crush on her and is hopeful that someday she will fall for him.
1. Chapter 1

Setting:The year is 1971. The Monkees have been broken up for some time, and Mike's marriage is on the rocks. He enrolls as a part time student at UCLA , figuring that some music courses will take his mind off of things. It is here that he meets a girl named Natalie, and they become best friends. Mike, however, has a huge crush on her and is hopeful that someday she will fall for him.

Mike had been in school for about a week, and he had to admit that he enjoyed his courses. He walked around the expansive campus and admired the large oak trees. He had a few hours until his next course started, so he snuck into the large theater and sat down in a back row. He loved being in this theatre, mostly because he missed acting. He managed a smile as he thought of the little theater that he used to act in when he was a teen back in Texas. He saw that there was a play rehearsal going on. Actors and actresses were in full costume and makeup. He wasn't sure what play or movie they were trying to act out, so he moved closer to get a better look at the actors.

The actors were halfway through reading their lines, and the professor who was in charge, was proud of their work as he watched them. The stage lighting was dim, and he saw a girl with red hair standing. She was wearing a black 1930s style dress and there was a boy her age sitting on a chair with a glass in his hand. He watched as the girl began to speak. "What's it like to get drunk, Ned?" She sat on the chair beside him, and 'Ned' replied. "Well I…how drunk?" "Good and drunk!" The girl replied. "Oh, it's wonderful. You see, you think clear as crystal. But every move, every situation is a problem. It gets pretty interesting." The boy handed her a glass and she drank some of the 'vodka'. "You get beaten in the end though, don't you?" "Sure but that's okay." Mike watched as the girl bore an expression of uncertainty and sadness.

"Where do you wind up?" The boy replied."Where does anybody wind up? You die…that's okay, too." The girl looked depressed and she put her drink down, "Oh, Ned! That's awful!" "Think so? Other things are worse." Michael could relate to Ned on a strong level, and he sighed sadly. Luckily, things began to pick up. Nez was so engrossed in the play that he missed his last class. He watched intently as the girl, the "Black sheep of the family" told her sister that she was in love with Johnny. But it was the girl's last few scenes that jogged his memory. "Holiday. 1938. She's playing Katharine Hepburn's character." He thought to himself. He stared at her intently. He thought she was so talented and beautiful. He loved the way her long red hair framed her face. He watched as the girl turned to her 'family' "Someone stop me- Oh someone just try and stop me!" Mike thoroughly enjoyed the rehearsal. He watched as the girl sat on a chair to talk with the professor in charge, then went to the dressing room to change. He had to find out who this girl was. Unfortunately, the girl must had exited from somewhere else, and he glumly walked out to his car.

The next day Mike was done with his courses for the day. He headed down the hall, and soon stopped in his tracks. Inside one of the art rooms sat the girl from the play! She was the only person in the art room, apparently working late on a project. For the first time in his life, he was at a loss for words. This girl was so confident. She wasn't like anyone he knew. He managed to step inside the art room, and he smiled nervously. "Hello. I saw your performance yesterday and I thought you were great. You kind of look like Katharine with that red hair of yours." Natalie peered over her artwork to look at him. "I'm glad you enjoyed the rehearsal. Opening night is tomorrow."

Mike nodded."I'll be sure to be there. He stared down at his feet and Natalie continued to paint the canvas. "Sorry I'm almost finished." Mike wasn't sure whether Natalie knew who he was. He figured she was pretty young when The Monkees came out, and didn't bother asking. "What's your name?" Natalie set her brush down."I'm Natalie. This is my last year here. What about you?" Mike pushed his dark bangs out of his eyes. "I'm Mike. I've only takin' a few courses here." Natalie smiled then. "I really like your accent. Are you from Texas?" Mike looked proud. "Yes ma'am. But I haven't been back to visit there in a long time." Natalie reached in her pocket and handed him a ticket for the show. "So I'll see you tomorrow?" Mike nodded. "I wouldn't miss it for anything." He gave her a little wave and headed to the hall.

The next day, Mike arrived promptly at seven to see Natalie's performance. He was seated in the second row, and he took his sunglasses off, putting them away. He was so proud when she came out onto the stage. When the play was over, Mike waited by her dressing room door, a bouquet of flowers in his hand. When she came out of the door, she was wearing a casual dress with heels. She looked surprised when she saw him holding the flowers. "Oh, Mike. What have you done?" She beamed as he handed her the flowers. "You were wonderful, Natalie. " Natalie smelled the flowers. "They're so beautiful, thank you!"

Mike smiled softly. "What are you doin' after this?" Natalie looked up at him. "I was going to get something to eat and then head home. What about you?" "Well, nothing really. I was hoping I could take you out to dinner." Natalie met his eyes. "I appreciate the offer…Maybe some other time, okay?" Nez nodded and walked her to her car. When she took off, Nez was flustered. He had never been with a girl who played hard to get, and it was driving him crazy.


	2. Chapter 2

The following week, Mike didn't see Natalie at all. He went into the theater to look for her but she wasn't there. He finally saw her after his last class let out. She was outside sitting on a bench. He headed over to her and sat beside her. "Hi Natalie. How are you?" Natalie was reading a homework assignment and she looked up."Hmm? I'm fine. How are you?" Mike set his books down. "I'm good. Was wonderin' if you wanted to catch a movie or somethin'." Natalie shook her head. "I've been really busy. I'm sorry Mike." Mike frowned. "Are you always busy?" She set her book down. "Mike, I'm really not looking for someone to date. " Mike decided to play it cool. "Well neither am I. I was just tryna be friendly with you. I don't know anyone here."

Natalie looked relieved. Sure, Mike was handsome. But she knew that a sexy man like that would just leave her with a broken heart. She smiled a little then. "So you just want to go out as friends?" Mike nodded. "If you wanted, we could look in the record store and then get some lunch…" His smiled as she put her books away and stood up. He led her over to the parking lot where his brown mini cooper was parked. "Wow this is such a cool car." She checked it out before sitting inside. "It must be difficult for you to drive this with your long legs." Mike chuckled. "A little. But I love the car."

He parked in front of the new record store in town and helped her out of the car. "What records do you wanna look at?" Natalie looked at all of the records. "Maybe the Bee Gees and Chet Baker." Mike was impressed. He watched as she looked through the records. "You have good taste. I have a few of their records at home." Natalie picked out two records that she wanted, and browsed through the singles. She found a Rolling Stones single and headed to the register to pay. "The Stones, hm?" He shook his head when she got her wallet out and paid for her records." Michael I-" Mike shushed her and handed her the bag of records. "You'd better bring these into the restaurant with you. The heat will warp them in the car." Natalie nodded and followed him as he went into the restaurant across the street. "Thank you for my records."

"Don't worry about it." He led her into the restaurant and pulled out her chair before sitting down. "You look really tired, Mike. Are you okay?" Mike nodded. "My kids came over to visit last night. They can be a handful." Natalie nodded. "How many kids do you have?" "Three boys and a girl." Natalie whistled low. "That's a lot of kids. I bet they're really sweet." Mike desperately needed someone to talk to. He began to open up to Natalie, telling him about Nurit and the divorce. He also told her about Phyllis' car crash and how he always had one night stands. "I was bad." He stared down at his food, not wanting to see the shocked expression on Natalie's face.

Natalie took a bite of her salad. "No wonder you always look so sad all the time. You're upset because you messed up." Mike nodded and pushed his food away. "Mike, you have to eat. " She handed him his fork, and he nodded with a sigh. "Natalie? Is it okay if I call you sometimes?" She nodded and wrote her number down on a napkin. When they finished their meal, Mike drove her to her house. "Thanks for listening, Natalie." "Don't worry about it. Thanks for the meal." She got out of the car and headed into her house.

Over the past few months, Mike and Natalie had been hanging out as friends. The two of them had been through a lot together. Mike's divorce, the death of his dog, and Natalie wanting to leave school was enough upset for both of them. Luckily, they had each other. He liked the idea of having a lady friend, but sometimes he wasn't able to help himself and he would flirt with her.

Today Natalie was at Mike's house working on some homework with him. He gently moved a strand of hair behind her ear. "You look really hot today." Natalie continued working on her sketches. "I mean it. I like the way you fill out that dress. Your breasts are really perky today, too. " Natalie huffed and pushed him gently "Keep it in your pants, Nesmith." Mike chuckled softly "Sorry. I've never been best friends with a woman before. It can be difficult at times." He kissed her cheek and Natalie smiled softly "It's okay Mike. Just keep your eyes on your homework." Mike smirked and did as he was told.

By the time May rolled around, Natalie was to graduate. Mike was so proud of her. No one in his family had ever graduated college. He knew that Natalie herself has been close to dropping out, but he pushed her to get the degree. When the dean called her name and she came up onto the stage, Mike clapped and whistled loudly, and Natalie grinned. When everyone had received their diplomas, the graduates left out of a side entrance. There were so many people outside that Natalie couldn't find Mike. She stood up on a bench and Mike made his way toward her, chuckling softly. "Found you!" He scooped her up from the bench and held her close. "I'm so proud of you, Natalie."

Natalie sighed happily as he hugged her. The more time they spent together, the more she began to like him. "I couldn't have done it without you, Michael." Mike kissed her cheek. "I took pictures of you in the auditorium. "He had her sit on the bench and he took a few more photos of her. "I have your presents in my car by the way." He led her over to his car and opened up the trunk. He smiled and handed her a bag that said "Congratulations!" On it, and leaned against his car. "I hope you like everything. If you don't, I can get you something else." Natalie opened up the bag and giggled as she took out a stuffed animal owl with a grad cap on his head. "Aww Michael, he's so cute!" She hugged the owl as she read his card. "Dear Natalie. Congratulations! Words can't describe how proud I am of you. I know you will have a promising future. P.S. Thank you for making me a better person. Love, Michael."

"Thank you, Michael. I love my owl and the card." Mike kissed the top of her head. There's one more present waiting for you at my house, and also there's cake." Natalie sighed happily as Mike drove to his house, soon pulling into his driveway. When they got inside, he led her into the living room. He took a small velvet box off of the coffee table and opened it up. Inside was a white gold ring. It was plain except for the inscription inside which read: 9/2/71 "That's the day that we met." Mike explained, and he slipped the ring onto her finger. "I hope you like it. " Natalie smiled "Michael, it's beautiful. Thank you." She kissed his cheek and curled her arms around him "I don't know what I'd do without you. You're the most wonderful friend a girl could ask for." Mike moved his hand over hers "I love being your friend. Sometimes I think you're the only person who cares about me…" He managed a smile "But I have to admit that when we go out and people think you're my girl, that's when I'm the happiest." He kissed her cheek and as Natalie followed him into the kitchen, she couldn't help but wonder if Mike was falling in love with her.


	3. Chapter 3

Tonight Natalie was going out on a date with a boy from campus. As she was getting ready, the phone rang and she picked it up. "Hello." Mike was on the other line, and he sounded chipper. "Natalie? It's Mike. Would you like to go out tonight?" Natalie sounded uneasy "Wish I could, but I'm already going out tonight." Mike sounded a little disappointed. He could tell by her tone of voice that she was going out with a boy, and he sighed "Whose the lucky guy?" Natalie put her earrings on "His name is Chris. I know him from school. I'd better get going, Michael. I'll talk to you later, okay?" Mike's shoulders slumped as he said goodbye and hung up the phone.

The following week, Mike was in his favorite record store when Natalie came in with the elusive Chris. He hated to admit it, but Chris was a very handsome guy. His blonde hair was styled in a Beatle haircut, and he was wearing gray stovepipe jeans and a black jacket. Mike's heart sank when he saw that Chris was holding Natalie's hand, but he said hello when they passed by him. "Oh, hi Mike. I didn't see you there." There was an awkward pause as Mike looked from her to Chris. "Oh, this is my boyfriend Chris. Chris, this is Michael. He's a good friend of mine." Chris shook his hand with a smile "Hey man, you were in The Monkees right?" Mike nodded "I sure was. But I'm doin' some solo work now." Chris chatted with Mike as Natalie looked around the shop, and they left after a few minutes.

Over the course of a month, Natalie dated Chris exclusively. She still made time to see Mike, and he was grateful for that, but it was pure torture for him watching this beautiful girl talk about her boyfriend. The worst was when she would visit him after she saw Chris, as her cheeks always had that obvious post coital flush. Today Mike was taking Natalie out for some dessert at a fancy café. As he pulled up in front of her house, he saw the pretty redhead come down the walk in a short lavender dress. She looked beautiful, but he could tell by the look in her eyes that something was wrong. As he helped her into the car, he kissed her cheek. "Well hello there, sexy." Natalie sighed as he curled his arms around her "Michael, why don't boys like me? Is it because I'm short?" Mike gently rubbed her back "Did something happen with Chris?" The younger girl nodded as she held onto him "He said he didn't want to be in a committed relationship. He wanted to date other women while he was with me."

Mike huffed "What a scumbag. You can do so much better, Natalie. And you're not short at all. Tall guys love petite women." Natalie looked up at him sadly "That's not true. You told me your women were very tall." Mike kissed the top of her head "Well It's nice to be eye level with a girl, but then again, I love how my jackets are huge on you. Besides, with shorter girls, you can carry them into your bedroom." Natalie couldn't help but laugh "You've given this a lot of thought, haven't you? I think you forgot the part where shorter girls are more flexible in bed." Mike chuckled "Well I wouldn't know about that. But I believe it." He stroked her back until she closed her eyes with a sigh. "Now doesn't that feel better?" Natalie nodded and rested her head on his chest. "Say, Nat? Peter, the guy I was in The Monkees with…well he invited me to a party tonight. I never really go, because he's a big hippie, but he's blonde so I'm guessing you might like him." Natalie smiled softly "We could always go, and if we get bored, we can leave."

After Mike and Natalie had eaten their dessert, Mike drove them to Peter's home in Laurel Canyon. Natalie was surprised at the amount of musicians who were there, and she said hello to the people who he introduced her to. When they finally found Peter, Mike took Natalie's hand and walked over to him. "Hey Mike, whose the pretty girl?" Mike sighed as the young girl blushed. "This is Natalie. You two get to know each other, okay?" He patted Peter on the back, shooting him a 'You lay one hand on her and you're dead' look before he went into the kitchen for some food.

When Mike left, Peter brought her over to the living room, letting her mingle with some of his friends. Natalie didn't think Peter was a bad guy, but upon speaking to him for an hour, she deducted that he was now a drifter who did a lot of drugs. She sighed as he curled an arm around her, and she sipped some of her wine. "You're a cool chick, Maddy." Natalie gently moved his arm off of her "It's Natalie." She sighed softly and stroked his cheek "Peter, your life would be so much better if you would just sober up." Peter's eyes were expressionless as she spoke to him, and she soon got up to find Mike. As she walked around the house to look for him, Natalie began to feel dizzy.

After a half hour of searching for Mike, she finally smacked right into him, as he was getting a snack in the kitchen. "Natalie, are you alright? Natalie!" Natalie stared at him, but all she could see was a blur, and she began to cry. "Oh Nat, this is all my fault. " He sighed sadly as the girl passed out in his arms, and he carefully swung her over his shoulder. He couldn't believe how out of control these parties had become. He scanned the room for Peter, but when he couldn't find him, he carried Natalie out to his car. By the time Mike reached his house, Natalie was still out cold, so he carried her up the stairs, and brought her into the bathroom. He removed her dress before he propped her up in the bath tub.

A moment later, ice cold water sprayed out of the shower, and Natalie screamed.

"Shh shh, Natalie, it's okay." The younger girl whimpered as the cold water hit her, but it seemed to be doing the job, as she was able to sit up on her own. Unfortunately, she was still out of it, her sight still blurred as she looked around the bathroom. "Where's Mike? I need to see him." Mike turned off the water and lifted her up so he could put a towel around her "I'm right here, baby. We're gonna get through this." Natalie sniffled as he carried her into his room and laid her down on the bed. He changed her into one of his long shirts and laid down beside her. Mike was surprised when she began to squirm, and he turned out the lights. "Is that better? Do you want to go to sleep?"

Natalie stared up at the ceiling with a blank expression "Men are…are too terrible." Mike wiped a tear from her cheek "All men?" Natalie didn't respond, and she moved her hands over her face "Why do they act like they love you and then leave?" Mike's expression softened "I guess because we're jerks. I know I am." He shook his head when he thought of Phyllis and Nurit, but his thoughts were interrupted when Natalie buried her head under a pillow. It took Mike a half hour to get her to sleep, as she began to flip out, but once he curled his arms around her, she seemed to relax, and she soon fell asleep. He shook his head as he checked Natalie's pulse. He knew that someone who was helping out in the kitchen must have slipped acid into her drink. He could only hope that the poor girl wouldn't be tripping for days.


End file.
